Special Needs Answers
Should I Disinherit a Child with Special Needs?
Leaving a child with special needs out of your estate plan is almost always the wrong way to help the child.
Read moreWhy Not Just Disinherit a Child with Special Needs?
- March 20th, 2014
Q
Many disabled people rely on SSI, Medicaid or other government benefits to provide food and shelter. You may have been advised to disinherit your child with special needs - the child who needs your help most -- to protect that...
A
Many disabled people rely on SSI, Medicaid or other government benefits to provide food and shelter. You may have been advised to disinherit your child with special needs - the child who needs your help most -- to protect that child's public benefits. But these benefits rarely provide more than subsistence. And this "solution" does not allow you to help your child after you are incapacitated or gone.
When your child requires or is likely to require governmental assistance to meet their basic needs, you should consider establishing a special needs trust.